Jalbert credits employees for C&J ride to success

PORTSMOUTH — Jim Jalbert has been getting a lot of personal congratulations for recent tributes awarded to his C&J Bus Lines.

Paul Briand

PORTSMOUTH — Jim Jalbert has been getting a lot of personal congratulations for recent tributes awarded to his C&J Bus Lines.

The Greater Portsmouth Chamber of Commerce has designated C&J as Business of the Year for 2014. And Metro Magazine selected Jalbert as its inaugural Innovative Motorcoach Operator of the Year.

But Jalbert, who owns the company and is its president, said the honors come from team effort. "Don't congratulate me, congratulate the people who work here," he said.

Jalbert has two guiding principles: Hire good people (and treat them right) and offer the customer the best experience possible.

When talking with Jalbert, you immediately get the sense that he's enthusiastic about the Seacoast, the services his company provides, the employees who provide those services, and what lies ahead for the company.

"Our company is located in a wonderful place," he said from C&J's Pease Tradeport facility, located just a few lefts and rights from Interstate 95.

He noted the interstate "drives by our front door" and C&J operates in a region that features a destination community for visitors and a "thriving international business community."

"It takes more than that," he said when asked about what has made his business a success. "It's the people who work with us. We hire dedicated individuals, we compensate them well, we give them good benefits, and we participate in their retirement program."

Jalbert said he and his staff are motivated to do what they can to accommodate customers from ticket purchase to parking to riding the bus: "We've always subscribed to the theory that you have to do more."

According to Jalbert, C&J brings respect and a bit of elegance to bus transportation, which hasn't always been held in the highest regard by the traveling public. He endeavors to achieve a sense of sophistication of yesteryear when people dressed up to travel: Men wore jackets and ties; women wore dresses.

"It was an experience to travel no matter how you traveled," he said.

Jalbert said he hires people mostly on their personality. If you're having a bad day, his employees will try to make it better. If they're having a bad day, you won't see it in their behavior, according to Jalbert. "You're treated with a great measure of respect and a great measure of appreciation," he said.

At the facility it leases from the New Hampshire Department of Transportation, C&J operates coach bus service along a frequently traveled route with stops in Dover, Portsmouth (Pease), Newburyport, Mass., and Logan International Airport and South Station in Boston.

It also provides service to New York City from Portsmouth (with a stop in Tewksbury, Mass.). In July, C&J announced an expansion of service to and from the Big Apple, adding a third round-trip on Fridays and Sundays.

And it's not just a ride, there are also the amenities: newspapers, bottles of water, snacks, bathroom, electrical outlets, WiFi, and in-bus entertainment for the New York City trips.

Jalbert personally vetted the design of the New York City bus.

Describing himself as "a big guy," he wanted to be able to sit so that his knees didn't touch the seat in front of him. The New York City coach, as a result, has fewer seats (30) than a normal bus, but it features more room for the five-hour ride.

As for what's next, Jalbert said, "We continue to make the product better."

He pointed to the introduction of full-time valet service "for a very nominal fee" by the end of September. C&J has used valet service during its peak travel times during the holidays. This will be a permanent service.

"People fear because the lots are busy there isn't parking and we'll guarantee that there is," he said. "I never want anybody to worry that we won't accommodate them."

He also said C&J is working on a ticket automation system — "the first of its kind in the country" — to go completely paperless. Customers can look for more expansion of service to New York City and the possible use of double-decker buses that accommodate more passengers for the Boston runs "so we can move our commute market more efficiently," he said.

Jalbert said the company is also mulling special services such as an express bus run to Fenway Park for Red Sox games.

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